Advocating on Your Behalf

AAHomecare has been focused on outreach to CMS, state Medicaid authorities/health agencies/governors, major third-party payers/MCOs, and Congress to push for policy changes to help HME operate more effectively and safely under difficult conditions during the pandemic.

Our efforts include ongoing discussions with CMS leadership, active engagement with state Medicaid authorities and leaders at major commercial third party payers (including spearheading a broadly supported industry letter that has generated significant policy changes from these payers), developing several policy recommendations for the current emergency that were adopted into the recent IFR and other guidance from CMS, industry education and communication efforts, and working with our champions and committee staff on Capitol Hill to get HME priorities into the final version of COVID-19 stimulus legislation. More details on the policy gains we’ve helped secure through CMS, Capitol Hill, and state Medicaid authorities follow below:

HME Industry Relief during COVID-19 PHE

Relief for suppliers

AAHomecare worked with HHS to ensure that HME suppliers were included in the definition of “eligible health care providers” who could receive COVID-19 relief payments granted through the CARES Act. HME suppliers began to receive shares of the initial $30 billion tranche of relief payments in April and can apply to receive additional funds from other relief programs in the CARES Act and Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act

Successfully advocated for relief for non-bid area suppliers led to establishment of 75/25% blended rate in non-rural, non-competitive bid areas and continuation of 50/50 blend in rural areas. These important provision were included in the CARES Act (H.R. 748), which was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and will put $214M more back into non-rural, non-bid suppliers pockets.

Estimated $140 million in relief for HME suppliers through the eight-month pause of the 2% Medicare sequestration reductions.

More than three dozen COVID-19 alerts and communications have been sent since the beginning of the PHE, providing resources, breaking news, and information.

Thank you to our member companies for your continued support and active participation in AAHomecare. Our team is proud to do our part to make it easier for you to serve your patients and communities under these extraordinary conditions.